Depositions Don’t Have to Be Boring – Part I: Location

Here at OSPlus our Court Reporters take a lot of depositions – normally in offices or conference rooms. But sometimes depositions are held in other places when a person cannot travel to your office, they are in another state, disabled, hospitalized or in jail requiring you to find a different location or utilize video conferencing or videography to conduct the deposition.

Have you ever considered holding a deposition on a yacht? It could happen. “Massachusetts Rule of Civil Procedure 30 governs the taking of depositions. It provides that a party wishing to take a deposition must give at least 7 days notice to every other party to the lawsuit and state the time and place for taking the deposition and the name and address of each person to be examined”, says Attorney Steven D. Weil of Doherty, Ciechanowski, Dugan & Cannon, P.C. of Franklin, MA. It does not state where a deposition must be held, although all parties must agree on the location.

Would holding a deposition in an alternative environment affect the proceedings? As long as privacy issues are addressed it should not be a concern. Weil states “depositions must be held in a place where only those with an interest in the lawsuit may hear and observe the testimony, and that the place of the deposition should be one that is conducive to the process.” Many locations fit these requirements so even if the deposition is unexciting, the location doesn’t have to be.

We recognize that a unique location takes a backseat to just getting the deposition done. At OSPlus we can set up your deposition wherever you need to hold it. OSPlus has a clean conference room, and video conferencing and videography services.